Toronto film festival to look at 9/11, women’s strides

North America’s largest film festival opens today in Toronto with a spotlight on music, the rise of women directors, illegal immigration and 9/11.

“It’s a strong year for music documentaries, and there are some very provocative films by women,” festival co-director Cameron Bailey said in an interview.

And “there’s a noticeable response to the immigration crisis in Europe,” he said. “We’ve seen documentaries on this subject in the past, but this year we see several (fiction) filmmakers dealing with people banging on Europe’s door, and how Europe is responding to that.”

The Toronto film festival opens this evening for the first time ever with a documentary and runs until September 18 showcasing 268 feature films, and 68 shorts from 59 countries, including 123 world premieres.